


The Knock That Is But Once A Year

by Dopredo



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Believe in Swan Queen (Once Upon a Time), Cute, F/F, Fluff, I Blame Tumblr, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Sex, One Shot, Romance, Yes It Can Be A One Shot With Two Chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:14:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29986869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dopredo/pseuds/Dopredo
Summary: Every year on Emma’s birthday someone knocks on her door, but leaves before she can find out who it is. On her 28th birthday, Emma meets the culprit.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Kudos: 58





	1. The Knock

**Author's Note:**

> It look me way too long to decide whether this should have a happy ending or not. So… I decided YOU get to decide. If you want to see them happy, it’s on page 2. If not, you are horrible and we would probably be friends.

Emma didn’t get much for her birthday. Granted, it wasn’t her _actual_ birthday. She didn’t know when then was; the only day she knew to celebrate was the day she had been abandoned by the road. As of today, that was 28 years ago.   
Emma didn't get much for her abandonment day; but she got this one thing. And each year she would cling onto it with every fibre of her being. 

The knock.

Every year, at precisely midnight, Emma would hear a knock at her front door. No matter where she was living, or even if she wasn’t staying in her own house, she would hear this knock. And every year she would run to open it, only to find that there was no one there. It was a strange occurrence, by anyone’s reasoning, but Emma couldn’t help but feel excited by it. It had happened on so many occasions now that she was sure it wasn’t in her head, and that meant only one thing: someone out there who knew about Emma’s “birthday” cared enough to be there every year… Even if they had perfected the art of disappearing before Emma could figure out who they were.  
  
Sighing, Emma padded over to her faded ash rucksack that was lying lopsided on the counter. Pressing her hips against the countertop, she reached into the bag and removed a hand-sized plastic container, containing her time-honoured tradition: a single cupcake.   
“A lot like you, eh,” Emma grumbled, stabbing the cupcake (perhaps a little too aggressively) with a candle. She reached into her jeans for the lighter she had pocketed earlier, biting her lip in concentration as she flicked a cog and the candle’s wick burned to life in front of her. “Another banner year,” she said under her breath, wishing there was someone there to condemn her sarcasm. Closing her eyes, she blew out the candle, wishing for the first thing that came to her head: that this year she would find out who it was that kept knocking on her door. It depressed her that it was the only thing in her life that was exciting enough to be worth wishing about.   
  
By the end of the evening, Emma was not-so-gracefully passed out on the couch, having drunk through enough vodka-cokes for a group of people. Groaning, the sleeping Emma rolled over, falling into an even deeper slumber.

_Emma fell backwards, skidding along the ground on her bum until she thumped against a crooked telegraph pole. She was bleeding and her head was spinning; all the signs were pointing to her being concussed. The figure approached her again, a grin evident on her face, even to Emma’s blurry vision. A beast of some form or another padded along beside her, eyes glinting mischievously. There was no doubt about it: she was going to die. After everything she had been through, Emma was going to die lying against a telegraph pole, too weak to move and utterly alone. She closed her eyes, preparing herself for pain… for death. A moment passed and nothing had happened. Tentatively, Emma opened one eye, flinching back against the cloud of ash and burning crimson light that seemed to be emanating from the sun._

_That’s when she saw her. A cocoa-haired woman, dressed in a smart suit and heels, was standing between Emma and the beast. She turned to look back at her, honeycomb eyes sparkling radiantly, totally calm. Raising her hand, Emma attempted to scream out for her to get out of the way – to save herself, but the words just caught in her throat, sending her into a fit of coughing. The woman’s eyebrows creased in concern, but then she turned back to face the monster, lowering her head and pushing her palms outwards towards it, as though she was pushing a heavy block._

_Emma flinched as the cloud of ash around her was illuminated in bright purple light. It only took a second to figure out it was coming from the woman’s hands. But for some reason, in this strange world, that was ok… normal, even. Suddenly it was feeling very cold, so Emma lay her head back against the telegraph pole, her eyes fluttering shut involuntarily._

_“Emma!” she heard someone scream, and then she didn’t hear anything else._

_…_

_When Emma woke up, the woman was there again, holding her hand. The smoke was gone, the monster lying dead about ten feet in the distance._

_“I thought I’d lost you,” the woman sobbed in relief, brushing a strand of hair from Emma’s face despite the fact that it was perfectly well positioned. A shiver went through Emma’s body, although this time it wasn’t because of the concussion; Emma swore the brunette was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. And she seemed so familiar._ _  
_ _Emma didn’t stop the dark-haired woman as she leaned in to plant a kiss on her lips, but just as she did, something started happening to Emma's body – a strange feeling that she didn’t like shuddered through her and the familiar woman screamed out for her to…_

Emma woke with a start. How had she been so careless as to fall asleep on a night as important as this one? Someone was rapping on the door. Out of the corner of her eye, Emma noticed that her phone read 00:00. Midnight. Just as it always was. She jumped from her spot on the couch, still feeling quite dizzy from the booze. Breathing deeply, Emma made her way across the apartment to the front door. She grabbed the handle and turned it slowly, expecting to see no one on the other side of the door as usual. 

Pulling the door inwards aggressively, Emma let out a small squeak when she saw there actually _was_ someone standing there. She blinked rapidly, clearing the sleep from her eyes in astonishment. It wasn’t just _some person_ ; Emma could have sworn it was the same woman from her dream… Stunning, dark haired, dressed like a supermodel... even right down to the scar just above her lip. 

“Hello,” the woman smiled, her eyes glinting. After a small pause, Emma shook her head, realising she had been staring.

“Uh, hi,” she said confusedly. Gathering her senses, she realised she had to play this cool. “Lady, it’s like midnight.”

“It’s exactly midnight, Emma. I know you know that. My name is Regina and I’m the person who knocks _every_ year, so you can drop all the bravado.” Before explaining herself any further, Regina pushed passed Emma, letting herself in to the apartment. “Oh, and happy birthday.” Emma’s eyes widened in shock. After a moment of contemplation, she shut the door behind her with a thud, turning to look at the strange woman once more. 

“How do you know about the knocking? And… like, my birthday?”

“I know a lot more about you that that. And, don’t worry, I’m not your mom, before you start thinking that–”

“Why on Earth would I think that?” Emma frowned, taking in Regina’s appearance again and realising she really was completely breathtaking. 

“Oh, right, normal timelines…” Regina scoffed, confusing Emma even further. Leaning against the wall, she looked Emma up and down with a smile. It was hard to tell whether she liked what she saw. The silence was growing awkward, but Emma was determined not to be the first to break it. Eventually, Regina rolled her eyes, pushing herself away from the fake brickwork and striding towards Emma more gracefully than a swan. Interesting choice of comparison, she thought to herself. 

Emma expected her to stop moving once she was about a metre away, so she was a tad shocked when Regina continued closing the distance between them. Walking backwards, Emma considered the fact that she may have just let a hooker into her house without realising. Although, Regina would have to be the classiest hooker she had ever come across.   
“Uhh,” Emma inhaled, wide-eyed, backing away quickly. Once her back hit the wall there was nowhere else to go. Regina wore a playful smile, but still gave nothing away. If she had been anyone else, Emma would have called the cops there and then… But something about her was so alluring, she couldn’t help but just wait to see how it played out. When Regina was a few inches away, she stopped, batting her eyelids involuntarily. Something in Emma’s stomach somersaulted and she felt like a teenager again. Who the hell was this woman and how was she making Emma feel all of these weird things? Emma didn’t even think she was into women… well, now she thought about it, she couldn’t think of the last time she had been with a man or a woman.   
“Who are you?” Emma whispered, her voice breaking slightly as the intruder traced a single finger across the curve of Emma’s chin, leaving behind an invisible trail of shockwaves.   
“Oh, Emma. Don’t tell me you don’t remember the last time we did this?” The woman laughed playfully, using her finger to tilt Emma’s chin closer to her own. Still smiling, she pressed her lips against Emma’s, creating about a thousand more shockwaves. Wishing she had more self-control, Emma kissed her back, softly at first, but gaining more passion as she went on.   
  
Regina’s hips pressed to Emma’s as their chests pushed against each other in an chaotic but passionate battle. She felt the pressure of Regina’s palm on her stomach, making small up and down movements that rocked her against the wall gently. It was as though their bodies were two parts of the same machine, woking against each other and yet somehow creating something beautiful. Emma couldn’t remember the last time a kiss had felt like this. It was enough to make her forget about everything other than the woman in front of her; she had even stopped questioning why Regina was there in the first place. Mind clouded, her eyes closed slightly, as she allowed a warm shudder to pass though her body. Regina said something, but Emma couldn’t quite make it out, as though the words were being said far away in a thick fog. She tried to hold onto them, but they were fading faster than a dream, so Emma let the words slip away. Regina sighed against Emma’s neck, her lips so soft, parted against the bare skin. Emma went weak.   
She knew there were so many important questions to ask, but right here, right now, all she could think about was how quickly clothes were becoming an inconvenience, and how plausible it would be to kiss every square inch of Regina’s skin. Grabbing her by the arm, Emma pulled Regina towards the bedroom and decided that they were the only questions that needed answering tonight.

* * *

Regina was awake before break of day. Granted, from the way Emma was passed out under the sheets, it was clear she wouldn’t be waking up any time soon, but Regina couldn’t be too careful. Once a year. That was all she was allowed and she wouldn’t risk it for anything.  
  
With a melancholic sigh, Regina brushed the back of her hand against Emma’s cheek, biting her lip as she used her spare hand to grab a tiny potion bottle from her back pocket. “When you wake, Em, you won’t remember anything that happened since I knocked on your door. But I will.” Regina ran her fingers through Emma's hair, trying to keep her voice steady. Seeing Emma was the best part of every year, but also the hardest by far. “One day, baby, we’ll be able to be together. But for now you’ve got to forget again.” She thumbed Emma’s chin, pulling it open gently. Emma groaned, but didn’t wake as a single drop of potion fell on her tongue. Regina felt a hot tear streak across her cheek. She brushed it away angrily – this wasn’t the time for such things. Gritting her teeth, she allowed herself one last kiss before backing away towards the door, once again vowing that she would find a way to break this curse, it it was the last thing she did.   
  
“Until next year,” she whispered sadly and closed the door behind her with a squeak. 


	2. Happy Ending, Why Not?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sucker. 
> 
> I jest. I am literally in love with you for reading this.

As Regina turned to go, she heard a sound behind her.   
“Shit,” she said under her breath.   
“Regina?” a sleepy Emma chimed from inside the room. “What’s going on?”   
Regina spun. “Emma? How do you still know my name?”   
“ _ Huh _ ? Of course I know your…” Emma’s eyes widened; Regina wondered if it was the potion kicking in. She looked up at her in disbelief, her face breaking into a childish grin. “Regina! I have no idea how you did it – but… you broke it!”   
“What?” Regina frowned, still considering the idea that she could have knocked over a plant pot or something, and that Emma wasn’t talking about what she thought she was. “Emma, I think you’re just hungover. Maybe go back to sleep–”   
“I’m not hungover. Well, I am, but that’s not the point. You’re my  _ wife _ .”   
Regina’s jaw dropped open. 

“ _ Emma _ ,” she gasped, dropping her bag. “Are you telling me…”   
“You broke Maleficent’s curse!” Emma squealed again, raising her hands in the air as though she had just announced she was playing Wembley. When Regina’s face didn’t change (mainly from shock), Emma just rolled her eyes. “It took you long enough…” she scoffed. “I  _ did _ tell you... You should have just given that old hag back her apple when you didn’t use it, but…”   
Coming to her senses, Regina cut her off and tumbled onto the bed, embracing Emma so tightly she was worried she might send her back into her cursed state.    
“I’ve missed you,” she sobbed into Emma’s shoulder, losing her dignity immediately, but not caring because it was  _ Emma _ . Her Emma. “I don’t even know how I woke you, but it’s been the hardest few years of my life, only seeing you every birthday…”   
“Oh my God, all those knocks – that was _you_? Did I let you in every year?”   
“Every birthday since this curse began. The rest are just fake memories, I’m afraid.”   
“No more fake memories,” Emma huffed. “No more curses.” She looked at Regina in a way she thought no one ever could: love without limits. “Only us.”   


“Only us,” Regina agreed. She kissed the tip of Emma’s nose with a smile. “I love you Emma Swan. Now, let’s go home.”

**Author's Note:**

> READ THE NEXT CHAPTER IF YOU'RE A SUCKER WHO WANTS A HAPPY ENDING.


End file.
